Port-to-Plains urging extension of I-27

By DOUG McDONOUGH dmcdonough@hearstnp.com

Published 11:27 am, Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Port-to-Plains urging extension of I-27

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Nine officials from Plainview and Tulia are among the 774 individuals who signed a letter from the Ports-to-Plains Alliance to Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Tryon D. Lewis in support of extending Interstate 27.

The letter comes after the TxDOT held a series of public meetings earlier in the year to gauge public support for a feasibility study for extending I-27 from the top of the Texas Panhandle to Laredo. It now extends from Amarillo to Plainview and on through Lubbock.

“We asked our members if the I-27 extension feasibility student should proceed and they overwhelmingly said yes,” wrote Port-to-Plains President Michael Reeves in a letter that was co-signed by almost 800 Texans.

“As we all know very well, Texas is a rapidly growing state and the demands on our transportation system is growing exponentially,” the letter states. “We see the I-27 feasibility study as an important piece of Texas’ planning for future freight movement throughout the state.”

The Texas Freight Mobility Plan notes that by the year 2040 more than 73 percent of Texas’ population, and more than 82 percent of the state’s employment are projected to be located within five miles of an interstate. The plan says TxDOT should give additional consideration to the extension or designation of other interstate routes, including Interstate 27.

“This is a long term proposition and the feasibility study is the first step. Interstate 27 was originally designated in federal legislation in 1968, but it was not completed until 1991,” the letter says. “If the extension of I-27 is found to be feasible, construction for upgrades to interstate standards will not begin for years, and the entire corridor will take decades to complete. That is why it is so important to take that first step and begin the process today.”